Download Section 4 Vernal Pool Slides

Section 4
Vernal Pool Slides
Guide to Vernal
Pools
By: Ellie Purinton, Tess Rosenberg, wil
Garrison and Pablo Rodriguez
What is a Vernal Pool?
A vernal pool is a seasonal body of water that typically forms in the spring from
melting snow and other runoff. It dries out completely in the hotter months of
summer, and often refills in the autumn. Vernal pools are filled with insects such as
frogs, salamanders, and turtles.
The Vernal Pool
in the Fall
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iLAQus9qAo
The Vernal
Pool in the
Winter
Graph of Data
Food Web
Ellie’s slide #1
How does climate change affect the vernal pool and the amount
of life inside of it?
The question that I researched was “How does climate change affect the life in vernal pools?” I used books and websites to research
this question. I found out that climate change affects the migration of animals to vernal pools, the geographical ranges of plants and
animals, and can cause some animals to go extinct.
The first thing that I discovered from my research is that climate change affects the migration of animals to vernal pools. Research
shows that salamanders migrate when evening rainfall occurs with moderate temperatures over 45 degrees f in the day and 40 degrees f at
night. Evidence shows that minimum and maximum temperatures and rainfall amounts are changing. This could affect the migration of
the animals to the vernal pools, because when one animal isn’t there, it affects the entire food chain.
Not only does climate change affect migration, but it can also change the geographical locations of plants and animals.
Geographical ranges have been shifting because of changes in climate. This could be especially bad for species that can only live in certain
geographical places.
Another effect of climate change is that it could cause some species to be extinct. Some species that have narrow distribution, a
certain vernal pool could be the only place where that animal is found. If the pool is destroyed, the animal could go extinct. For example,
in Massachusetts, the Intricate Fairy Shrimp is found only in 10 pools. Also, Spadefoot toads are found at only 40 sites in the entire state. If
even only a few pools dried up from warmer temperatures, than that could affect the existence of the species.
Ellie’s slide #2
All of these changes in vernal pools that are caused by climate change affect the life in these habitats very much.
Animals such as the salamander start to migrate back to vernal pools in the spring, because rainfall and certain temperatures. If
animals didn’t know when to migrate to Vernal Pools because of Climate change, then the absence of this specific animal would
completely disrupt the food chain, causing the animal that the missing animal was eaten by to have no food. Also, the animals
normally eaten by a missing animal would grow abundant in quantity, causing the levels of the food chain to be either very
abundant or very scarce. The life at Vernal Pools in entirely based on “what eats what”, so the change in climate would
completely alter and possibly terminate the life at the Vernal Pools. Also, many plants that live near Vernal Pools are restricted
in the temperatures in which they can endure. Climate change causes these plants to change locations over time, because they
move to where they can live more easily. Animals follow the plants that they eat to where the plants move. This not only
disrupts the food chain of Vernal Pools, but also poses a huge issue for plants and animal that are geographically restricted, and
can only live in certain environments. Some species that live in Vernal pools are not found in any other environments, and
many of these are only found at a few select vernal pools. The change of climate could make these species extinct, because
they can only live in those specific environments, and the pools they live at could dry up from climate growing warmer and
amount of rainfall decreasing.. Also,because the change in climate causes migration issues and geographical changes of plants
and animals, this could disrupt the food chain and also endanger the animals that only live at a few vernal pools.
As you can see, climate change is a major issue for vernal pools, which are important environments in nature. Climate
change affects migration, geographical ranges of plants and animals, and could make some species extinct. These changes
pose huge threats for these habitats that are home to so many unique animals.
Tess’s slide #1
Why are vernal Pools important?
The question that I researched is why are vernal pools important.. I found out many differnet
facts about what species do in a vernal pool, How many species rely on vernal pools, and human
impacts on vernal pools.
I first, gathered information about what different species do in a vernal pool. A vernal pool is
very important to a number of species. They adapt to a very interesting habitat. The activity in the
pool is most likely to be organized so every specie gets enough time in the pool, and that every
specie maximizes its own chances for survival. Organisms feed on each other, yet lot’s of them
have to survive the increase of the population. Lots of species use the vernal pool for breeding and
feeding, in an area of reduced predation. Some species need to vernal pool to survive, and without
it, they would become extinct.
Another topic I researched is that many species rely on the vernal pool. Vernal pools are very
important for wildlife because they will need it on a summer day, as well as links in the overland
passage that have many amphibians and reptiles.. For species that are wide distribution, vernal
pools are essential to the local population. if the pools become dried out or get eliminated, the
population of that animal will die out of that area.
Tess’s slide #2
For species with a narrow distribution , a specific vernal pool may be the only place on earth that
the animal is found. Destruction of only a few pools can jeopardize the existence in some animals.
Without Vernal Pool’s, lots of species would be in danger, or would die.
The last topic I researched is the human impacts on vernal pools. There has been a major
increase in the population, along with building new homes, buildings, and roads. These are all
affecting vernal pools, and their species. Pool’s have been destroyed to create uplands, as well as
road drainage, and detention ponds. Vehicle traffic has also been a big problem for species.
Highways with multiple travel lanes and concrete dividers fragment the habitats, prevent
migration, range expansion, and restrict gene flow in a population. Irrigation wells lower the water
tables, and make the pool’s dry out a lot faster. Overuse of fertilizers and pesticides threatens the
water quality of pools. And they highly depend on runoff as a water source.
Overall, I believe that Vernal Pools are very important, and we would not know of many
species, if vernal pools didn’t exist. Although Vernal pools seem like they can be anywhere, they are
disappearing quickly,. People should do anything they can to try and help save them.
Pablo’s slide
http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/habitat/vernal-pools-and-salamanders.asp
What is life like in a vernal pool spotted salamanders?
Spotted salamanders are mainly found in vernal pools. They use them to reproduce and lay their eggs. Spotted
Salamanders head to vernal pools in the spring to breed early in the year. They produce really thick egg masses in the
vernal pools. They contain up to 2000 eggs, but sadly not all of them survive.
At first when there is no water in the pool the female digs a small hole and lays about 120 eggs, after that the
female stays to guard her eggs until the pool fills with water. Finally when the pool fills and the water covers the eggs,
the eggs should hatch in about 48 hours. When they hatch larvae appears and they spend about 60 to 100 days in in
the water before reaching maturation. During those days they start adapting to their habitat and feed on zooplankton
and even other smaller larvae.
Will’s Slide
http://www.nexuslearning.
net/books/holt_env_science/8-2.pdf
Could any of the animals interact with each other?
Plants interact of other organisms for different services. They interact with other plants, with animals, fungi, and
microorganisms. These organisms vary in their ability and patterns of history variation due to the traits of both the plant
and the animals, and due to the impact of human-induced habitat disturbances. I found that some of these animals
interact in many different ways. Sometimes unusual ways like the spotted salamander. The spotted salamander
interacts by actually eating other organisms!
Sources
Tess -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vernal_pool, and A Field Guide to the
Animals of the Vernal Pools by Leo P. Kenney and Matthew R. Burne
Ellie -
http://www.naturalheritage.state.pa.us/VernalPool_Threats.aspx
The Field Guide to the Animals of Vernal Pools by Leo P. Kenney and Matthew R. Burne
Pablo -http://www.nexuslearning.net/books/holt_env_science/8-2.pdf and
http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/habitat/vernal-pools-and-salamanders.asp
Will - http://www.nexuslearning.net/books/holt_env_science/8-2.pdf
Vernal Pools
By Colleen Boyle,
Francesca Giragos and
Emily Monte
What Is a Vernal Pool?
A Vernal pool is a critical habitat to
unique wildlife communities. Vernal
pools fill with rainwater or melted snow.
The Vernal Pool is home to few species of
small animals, such as the; wood frog,
mole salamander, and fairy shrimp. The
wood frog and salamander migrate to the
pool annually but the fairy shrimp lives
there year round.
Food Web
Why are Fairy Shrimp so
special? by Emily
The shrimp act as custodians for the vernal pools.
Usually no more than an inch long, the shrimp swim
upside down and use their 11 sets of legs to collect
algae, bacteria, protozoa and other microorganisms
from the surface of the water;The shrimp keep the
pools tidy and clean. Long story short, they help out
the other vernal pool creatures by keeping the
vernal pool clean.
Francesca’s Tardigrade children at
the vernal pool
I took slides from the Skinny Vernal Pool and the rail tracks next to them. The vernal
pool itself had one tardigrade and 3 rotifers. The track also had 1 tardigrade, and no
rotifers. I only had one period for research so the experiment isn’t all complete. I
would love to look into this for further information. I would like to believe that the
lack of tardigrades at the pool is because I had a minimal amount of time to actually
finish my experiment. Another factor could be the type of moss that is growing near
the pool. Perhaps the other organisms that call the pond home eat the tardigrades
as part of the food web.
How do the indicator species
Interact with each other? By
What are indicator species? Colleen
Indicator Species are the main animals that rely on the vernal pool.
The main species are Wood frog, the spotted salamander, and fairy
shrimp.
The spotted salamander eats worms, crickets, and spiders and can be
known for eating the wood frog larvae (eggs) and sometimes even
their own.
The fairy shrimp are very small in size (about .5- 1.5’’) and eat
bacteria, protozoans, and phytoplankton.
The wood frog eats flies, caterpillars, and worms. Adults can be
hunted by racoons and other larger animals.
Resources
➢ A Field Guide to the Animals of Vernal
Pools by: Leo P. Kenney and Matthew R.
Burne
➢ The Vernal Pool
➢ Ms. FD’s microscopes
Vernal Pool!
By: Camille and Mia
What is a vernal pool?
Vernal pool are ephemeral wetlands. Most
years the vernal pool is completely dry. The wet
dry season prevents fish from living there. The
pool fills from precipitation runoff, and and
rising groundwater. The pool loses water from
evaporation and transpiration.
Ephemeral- Lasting for a very short time.
Transpiration- The evaporation of water from plant leaves.
What happens to a wood frog in the winter?
● In the winter months the wood frogs stays in burrows or under leaves beneath the snow. They
do this because they cannot survive in the colder temperatures.
● They also increase their glucose production when the temperatures drop they increase glucose
production to high levels which acts like an antifreeze that keeps them from freezing solid.
● they use estivation which is similar to hibernation it is a state an animal goes into due to
adverse environmental conditions.
Camille Nedeau
Why is Leaf Litter important?
●
●
●
●
The litter leaves are a key point in the food cycle for the creatures in the
vernal pool.
Almost all animals in the pool eat the leaves for their food.
Salamanders lay their spermatophores on the leaves at the bottom of
the pool, so that the ladies can pick them up and get their eggs
fertilized.
Leaf litter is important for protection. The creatures like to hide under
them from predators in the food cycle.
Mia Olsen
Resources
Mia:
http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/habitat/vernal-pools-andsalamanders.asp
A field guide to the animals of vernal pools BY: LEO.p KENNY AND MATTHEW
r.Burne
Camille: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-do-frogs-survive-wint/
http://www.naturalheritage.state.pa.us/VernalPool_Amphibians.aspx
A field guide to the animals of vernal pools
Vernal Pool
by emma
Vernal Pool: What is it?
Vernal pools last for a very short time, which
make them ephemeral. The water comes from
rain and snow. A vernal pool is usually dry, this
restrains all lot of animals from living there. The
vernal pool then evaporates the water. The water
can also be evaporated by plant leaves, called
transpiration.
How do the ferry shrimp survive when the
water dries up?
Before vernal pool dries up, the females make
hardy resting eggs, called cysts, which are able to
survive the dry season and hatch when the rains
come again. This strategy allows the ferry shrimp
to avoid some predators which can’t survive in
such a temporary habitat like the vernal pool.
Sources
Vernal Pool: What is it?
Life In a Vernal Pool Field Guide
How do the ferry shrimp survive when the
water dries up?
http://www.nwf.org/wildlife/wildlifelibrary/invertebrates/vernal-pool-fairy-shrimp.
aspx
Vernal Pool 2014 - 2015
Kyra Chen, Avery Kirkpatrick, & Clara Hoey
What is a Vernal Pool?
A vernal pool is a small ephemeral (existing for a short period of
time) water source that is created from melted snow, precipitation, and
groundwater. Nearly every year vernal pools dry out due to
evaporation, which makes it so that fish can’t live there, but other
animals such as frogs, salamanders, fairy shrimp and snakes can.
Vernal pools are a home to many forms of life including both plants
and animals, some of which couldn’t live in anyplace else, like the fairy
shrimp. To learn more about this one of a kind wetland, keep reading.
Graph of Depth
Graph of Diameter
Food Web
plant and leaves
algae
turtles
Bacteria
fungi
insects
tadpoles
zooplankton
salamanders
adult frogs
How did fairy shrimp appear in the
vernal pool?
Inferences
➢
➢
➢
They could have been swallowed by a bird and landed in the water in its dung
They could have evolved from parasites
They could have evolved years ago and each year when the water is gone, there are eggs laid in the mud
and when the water returns they hatch
Information from research
➢
➢
Their eggs need to be dried and re-submerged in water before they hatch, so female fairy shrimp lay their
eggs in the water, and once the water drys out, the eggs lay underneath the leaf matter and go through
drying and freezing, and once water fills up the pool, they hatch.
Fairy shrimp have been around for a while and we know that because they have a very long fossil record.
The most likely way they got to vernal pools was that they started out in the ocean and freshwater lakes but
were forced to move over time because of the radiation of bony fish that started to appear.
Sources
➢
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anostraca
Avery Kirkpatrick
How do the animals in the vernal pool
survive when it is dry?
Inferences
➢
➢
When the vernal pool is dry, some of the animals might migrate to other wetlands or to the
woods nearby
Some of the water-dwelling animals such as the fairy shrimp might lay eggs that don’t need
water to develop until they hatch http://www.vernalpool.org/sly_1.htm
Information from research
➢
➢
Animals such as the spotted salamander and wood frog hibernate during the winter and live
in the woods when the vernal pool has dried up; the salamanders only need the pool for
breeding purposes in the spring. Similarly, the wood frogs rely upon the vernal pool for
their eggs and larvae, but they can survive without it for the rest of the year.
The fairy shrimp typically breed during the winter and spring, and they lay eggs that can
survive the dry periods until the rain comes again.
Clara Hoey
What will happen to the animals if the water in the
vernal pool decreased faster than before?
Inferences
➢
➢
If the water in the vernal pool dries up more quickly than before, the population of the
animals that live in the vernal pool will decrease because eggs on the edge of the vernal
pool will die when the pool dries up.
If there is no more water or much less water in the vernal pool, animals nearby that depend
on the water will most likely move to other places.
Information from research
➢
➢
Vernal pools are sensitive wetlands that can are easily disturbed or destroyed by human
activity.
Wood frogs and several other animals prefer vernal pools for their habitat because it can
protect their eggs from predators like fish, which won’t be found in vernal pools.
Kyra Chen
Photo URls
http://www.ct.gov/deep/cwp/view.asp?
a=2720&q=514222&deepNav_GID=1907
http://www.uri.edu/cels/nrs/paton/
http://www.virginiaherpetologicalsociety.
com/amphibians/salamanders/spotted-salamander/spotted_salamander.
php
http://www.kidzone.ws/lw/frogs/facts-woodfrog.htm
http://cfb.unh.
edu/cfbkey/html/Organisms/otherarthropods/GEubranchipus/geubranc
hipus.html
http://www.vernalpool.org/sly_1.htm
Vernal Pool
By Elizabeth L, Belle V, John G, and Max E
Vernal pools are wetlands
that fill up every year from
rain or melted snow. The
cycle of dry to wet prevent
fish from residing in the pool
permanently. The vernal
pool is home to a huge
array of life ranging from
harmless snakes to frogs
and salamanders. Vernal
pools are necessary for
many species to survive.
What is a vernal
pool? -Belle
Fun Fact:
Vernal means spring!
Max Easterday-Food Web!
Dead leaves fall into the pool.
Bacteria and fungi break down and digest the leave.
Other insects eat the leaves and the plankton.
Tadpoles also eat the leaves and the algae.
Turtles and snakes eat the egg masses of the
spotted salamander.
Racoons eat a lot of the insects and they also eat
frogs and salamanders.
The Bacteria and fungi grow
and get eaten by plankton.
Dragon flies, diving beetles and
the water scorpion eat the tadpoles.
Salamanders larvae are carnivorous they
eat anything its size and smaller. Then the
salamander larvae grows, and eats
anything that fits in its mouth.
The dead eggs are usually ate by birds or
other animals.
Libby’s Question
Which organism is most popular this time of
year?
The Wood Frog and Spring Peeper are the most popular this time of
year because the snow is leaving and the semi-dry semi-wet season is
entering. Wood Frogs migrate to the Vernal Pool this time of year for
breeding season. When the females lay eggs they hatch thus creating
more Wood Frogs. When the snow melts it creates the perfect habitat
for Spring Peepers. When a female lays eggs, she lays up to 800 which
is also creates more Spring Peepers. This also takes place around this
time of year. These events create a population of frogs this time of year
in the Vernal Pool.
How and what do the spotted
salamander larvae eat? Belle Venn
The spotted salamander larvae
somewhat resemble an axolotl
because of their gills. They have
feathery gills for taking the oxygen
out of the water. They eat small
insects, and in some cases will eat
other members of the species. Fish,
frogs and insects eat the larvae. The
spotted salamander larvae are
considered as predators.
Spotted Salamander Larvae https://www.flickr.
com/photos/briangratwicke/3640281370
What are vernal pool threats?
At the vernal pool the common
animals are the wood frog, spotted
salamander, and the spring
peeper. They all lay eggs during
the vernal pool season, but most
of the predators are not after the
eggs. If the predators are after
anything it would be the grown
animals. There are lots of
predators but the most common
ones would be Owls, snakes,
turtles, and raccoons.-Jon
Max’s Question
How do the wood frogs survive the winter, and where?
Frogs hibernate over the winter to fight very cold
temperature especially around North America. Some frogs
is a picture of a wood frog
hibernate underwater or dig a hole in the ground but the This
frozen.
wood frog is different. The wood frogs find crevaseas in
logs or rocks and go down as far as they can until they
find leaves. Their protection inside rocks and logs are not
too good, they freeze along with their inhabitants.
However the wood frogs do not die because of Antifreeze,
a layer under the skin is complete ice. For most of the
winter the heart, brain, and lungs completely freeze and
shutdown. The frogs will appear dead but they are just
frozen, then in the Spring they break through the ice and
start the frog life over again.
Bibliography
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-do-frogs-survive-wint/
http://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Ambystoma_maculatum/
http://www.owlpages.com/pictures/species-Strix-varia-4.jpg
http://www.naturenorth.
com/spring/creature/woodfrog/images/Wood_Frog_15.jpg
A Field Guide to Vernal Pools- Leo P. Kenny and Matthew R. Burne